


I think we're like the wind and sea.

by Gay5sos



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Kissing, Lashton - Freeform, M/M, Making Out, Mermaid!Ashton, Mermaids, barely smut sorry, human!luke, im trash idc, lashton au, lashton fluff, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-10
Updated: 2014-09-10
Packaged: 2018-02-16 22:13:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2286303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gay5sos/pseuds/Gay5sos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luke meets a boy who has a cute smile. And who is also part fish. But his smile is really cute.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I think we're like the wind and sea.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay. So. I love mermaids. And I love lashton. So here is my baby.
> 
> (((ALSO I recently changed my tumblr url to ashthighs so go follow if you want to give feedback or if you want to be updated on what im writing!!!)))

"So what are you guys gonna do now?" Luke said, voice straining a little.

"We're gonna go home, and we're gonna fuck." Michael slurred loudly, crudely thrusting into Calum's side.

"Not if you keep announcing it, dipshit." his boyfriend groaned, but they all knew that the two would end up having sex in the couch of Michael's shitty flat anyway.

The streets were empty, and mostly dark except for the odd street light illuminating their path, giving it and eery edge. The three best friends had been out on their usual Friday night session down at the local bar, and it was fair to say that Luke was more than a little tipsy.

"What 'bout you, Lukey?" Michael hooked his arm around Luke's shoulder pulled him in closer, earning a shove and a playful 'ugh get off'. "What 'chu doin'?"

Luke stared up at the sky for a moment. The moon was full and bright, and he could hear the faint sound of waves in the distance. The pier was nearby, and the water would probably look really pretty under the moonlight. He knew what he wanted to do.

"You guys can go on ahead. I'm goin' to the pier."

Michael and Calum looked at each other oddly, and then at him.

"You sure? Could be dangerous." Calum reasoned, although Michael was whining and tugging at his shirt to go home now.

"Yep! Night!" Luke called, turning around and following the sound of the ocean.

When he reached the wooden pier, he tiptoed carefully down the middle, and as soon as he reached the edge, plunked down for a rest. The ocean was gentle that night, and the only sound that could be heard was the gentle swashing of the tide. The moon was large and silver, shining down onto the water, and Luke was sure that he could fall asleep then and there.

He didn't, because a loud splash caught his attention. Luke squinted, because the world was fuzzy— or maybe that was his brain— to see what was in the water. A shark maybe? He had seen Jaws. He knew that his current state wasn't the best to deal with vicious sea creatures. A loud giggle rippled through the air. Luke stayed silent, because he knew sharks didn't giggle. Someone was out there.

Another splash was heard, somewhere in his perimeter, and then the world was silent again. Luke listened and waited for another sound, but all that could be heard was the soft rumble of the gentle waves against the pier columns. He went to stand up, when several bubbles surfaced only a few feet away from him. Another second later, and a head shot up from the water, followed by shoulders and a waist.

It was clear to Luke that it was a boy out there, probably around his age. His hair was dark and plastered down due to being soaked, but when the moonlight hit him, Luke could see the golden highlights. He was tanned, and pretty toned too. As he grinned, he had two dimples piercing his cheeks.

The boy gave another great whoop, swimming in circles and spitting water like a fountain from his mouth. He swam in a strange fashion, wiggling his hips forwards and backwards, as if he was thrusting, but it was... smoother. It was as though he was one with the water, rippling along with the waves. It was kinda beautiful to watch, but maybe that was just Luke's tipsy mind.

He was about to call out, when something made his voice hitch in his throat. The boy had, in one swift movement, dived back into the dark waters, not causing a splash however, but rather... slipping in. That wasn't the strangest part, though. No, what really caused Luke's eyes to bulge out of his head, was that when he ducked his head into the water, a pair of legs didn't kick out to assist him. In fact, maybe it was just his imagination, but he could have sworn that he had seen a... tail?

No, it was definitely a tail. He had only seen it for a brief second or two, but it was enough to take in the long, amber fish tail that merged downwards from his waist. Luke sat agape for a while, waiting for the boy to return to the surface. As the minutes ticked by, Luke's mind only began to fill with more and more questions. That boy had a tail. What did that make him? A mermaid? A merman? Had Luke just witnessed a mythical creature?

After ten minutes, when there was still no sign of the other boy, Luke began to wonder if maybe he had imagined it. He was drunk, after all. Though alcohol never usually caused him to hallucinate. Another minute went by, and eventually a small whirlpool of bubbles formed just a few feet away. The boy popped up again, pushing his dripping hair back off of his face. As he was closer than before, Luke noticed that when the moonlight hit his face, the boy's large, animated eyes were the same amber colour of his tail, which he could see the shadow of under the rippling water.

"Hey!" he called out, his mouth moving before his brain could even process the words.

The boy's head snapped up towards him, his eyes widened with panic. He wasted no time in pushing himself under the water— still upright, probably trying to hide the tail— and Luke could see the trail of bubbles that followed him so far that Luke couldn't even see them anymore. He groaned to himself and smacked his head for being so dumb.

      

**____________________________________________________**

 

The next day was eventful. First of all, Luke woke up with a splitting headache and a dull ache piercing his bones. Like, he was literally contemplating making a deal with satan just to get full function of his aching body back. It was a saturday, meaning he could lie on for a while, but after 20 minutes of lying there silently, as his hangover only pounded on, he grew restless and decided to get up. (With precaution, though.)

His apartment was a kip, per usual. It was a nice enough place on the 6th floor of the apartment block, with a balcony overlooking the sea, but about a week after moving in, he had Luke-d it all up. This meant clothes everywhere, water all over the bathroom floor, and coursework and takeaway boxes displayed on every visible countertop in the place. Now he had been living here for a year, and it was still the same. Sometimes, just sometimes, it was clean, but only when he was planning to bring a guy home. After that it usually just reverted back to it's natural state.

Luke sighed through a mouthful of cold leftover pizza and rummaged through his bedroom floor for something decent to wear. Everything was either crumpled up or stank of body and food. This was what happened when you were an overworked college student with no mum there to do the washing-up. Eventually, he decided to slip on a pair of old sweatpants and a plain white shirt. He didn't really have anyone to impress, and he was just going to have to pray that he didn't meet anyone worth impressing.

He grumbled, collecting all of his unwashed clothes and tossed them all into a black sack. It was about time the cleaning was done. Popping a paracetamol into his mouth and not bothering to shower before leaving, he made his way down the stairs, groaning between steps, because the painkiller hadn't kicked in yet. Maybe he had drank a little more than intended. He made his way to the laundry room and had already began unloading the bag into a machine before he realised someone was with him in the room.

"Rough night?" he heard a gentle voice say, and he glanced over to the boy who was sitting on the drying a few away from him. He was about the same age, with golden, shaggy hair. He looked slightly familiar, but Luke couldn't really tell where from. Maybe he had seen him in a bar somewhere.

"Don't even mention it." he grumbled, turning the dials on the machine to make it go. He looked back over the boy, who was sitting on the edge of the shaking machine. "You know that only works for girls, right?"

The boy looked momentarily confused, before his face turned red and he hopped from the machine.

"Oh— that's not what I was—"

"Relax," Luke smirked, resting an elbow on the washing machine to look at him, "I was kidding. I'm Luke, by the way."

"Ashton. Just moved in."

The golden-haired boy grinned. Dimples. The feeling like he had seen this boy somewhere before grew, and suddenly everything clicked into place. He had. At the pier. Luke took a step back. He had seen this guy in the ocean. Except he had had a fishtail. Was that something his drunken mind had made up? No, it couldn't have been. The memory was all too real.

"What?" Ashton cocked his head, noticing how Luke's body language had changed.

"Did... I see you last night? In the sea?"

This time it was Ashton who's body language changed. He stood staring at Luke for several moments with wide eyes, unsure of what to do or say.

"Oh. That was you."

"Yep." was all Luke said, because things were more than a little awkward now.

"But... you were drunk, right?" Ashton continued cautiously. "I can still smell it on you." he clarified. Rude. Was he trying to see if Luke remembered what he saw?

"Not _that_ drunk. I still remember stuff."

"What stuff?" Ashton said slowly with suspicious eyes.

So that was the game they were playing. Neither of them wanted to say it. Because if Luke said it and it turned out not to be true, he would look like a psycho, and Ashton was probably afraid that if he said the M word, his cover would be blown. Well, Luke was tired and grumpy and hungover, so he wasn't playing the game.

"You're a mermaid, right? Or merman, or whatever." he deadpanned, and he saw the anticipation in Ashton's hazel eyes die. Yep, they were even the same colour. It was him.

Ashton pinched the bridge of his nose, and seemed to think of a strategy for a few moments.

"Well, you're clearly sure, so I'm not gonna deny it. Yes. I am. Can I trust you not to turn me into the government, or whatever?"

"Actually, I was thinking of calling the aquarium." Luke said with a straight face, but he couldn't help but grin when Ashton got the joke and gave a small smile.

"I know you wanna ask about it. Go ahead." he said, eyebrows slightly raised.

"Okay... um, so—"

At that moment, someone else entered the room. It was a small old woman that lived in the third floor, carrying her own laundry basket, and Luke felt him enthusiasm deflate. Ashton seemed to notice, and he pulled a phone from his pocket.

"Give me your number. You can come over some time if you want me to explain things." he said, and his dryer began to slow down.

After he put Luke's number into his phone, Ashton pulled his clothes from the dryer and shoved them into his basket without even folding them.

"See ya 'round, Luke." he said quietly, softly smiling before turning and leaving the laundry room.

After he left, Luke suddenly became very aware of how shit he looked.

 

                                           

**___________________________________________________**

 

"You were born on land?"

It was a day later, and Ashton had finally texted Luke his address. Floor 3, room 14. Not a place with a great view of the ocean, which surprised him. The place was a mess actually, filled to the brim with cardboard boxes that Ashton hadn't bothered to unpack yet.

"Well yeah, how is a mermaid gonna give birth?" Ashton raised his eyebrows, a slight smirk on his lips. He had nice ones too, not that Luke was looking.

"So wait. Are you a mermaid that can turn human? Or a human that can turn into a mermaid?" He queried, because it was all quite confusing. He was determined to find out as much as he could about his mermaid neighbour, however.

"The other night, did I _look_  human to you?" Ashton said, with a broad smirk now. Yeah, it was kind of a stupid question.

"I'm both. Or neither. But I suppose the second one is the closest to it. I was born with legs." the strange boy continued. "All of my people were. We just kind of... I dunno... have the power to breathe underwater."

"And the tail thing." Luke reminded him, and Ashton chuckled. It was the same laugh he had heard that night. It was almost like a bell chime.

"Yes, and the tail thing. We have the power to control it, though. Not like in those tv shows were the girls touch a drop of water and they flop over."

"Aaww _H2O_? That was my favourite!" Luke grinned. He hoped Ashton believed that it was a joke. It mostly wasn't.

"Mine too." The golden-haired boy giggled, to Luke's surprise. "They always made it seem so glamorous."

Luke bit back a large grin. This boy was a huge dork, rather than a cool, aloof mystical being. He really wanted to stay friends, now.

"So like... how come you moved here? Away from your _pack,_  or whatever."

Ashton thought for a second, placing his index finger on his chin.

"Well, I lived with my family on the other side of Sydney. And I wanted to move out like any other 21 year old would, but it had to be somewhere with water, naturally. So I chose near the beach. Ta da!" he wiggled his hands in a playful manner, and Luke was in awe.

He was kinda sad to be so normal now. He had had no clue that there were people in the world that weren't... well, people. Who knew if Mrs. Peters down the hall was a vampire, or if the Butlers upstairs had witch powers. He didn't even wanna know.

"I wish I was a mermaid." he said dreamily, and then chuckled to himself. "I can't even swim."

Now it was Ashton who was staring at him as if _he'd_  just admitted to having magical powers. For a second Luke thought that maybe there was something on his face, but then Ashton squawked

"You can't _swim_?"

He felt a little guilty. Maybe it was some sort of cultural offence to not be able to swim? No, Ashton had said that he had had a normal human life. He went through high school and watched Nickelodeon shows too.

"Well I can doggy paddle 'nd stuff, but nothing flashy."

Ashton opened and snapped his mouth closed like a fish (pun _so_  intended) and brought both hands to his lap.

"Well, I'm going to teach you then." he simply stated.

Luke's heart began to thump a little faster. Ashton wanted to waste his time on him? Did that mean he wanted to be friends too?

"You will?" his tone was _way_  too enthusiastic, but he didn't care. If they were in the water together, Luke would be able to see Ashton's tail up close, something he was still so curious about.

"Of course." he closed his eyes in a content smile. "I'd like to."

 

They made arrangements for later that night, because Ashton could only swim when no one was around and Luke had college early in the morning.

When the time came, that night at 11pm, when the sky began to get darker, Luke found himself getting changed into swim trunks, throwing a pair of (now clean, bless) sweatpants, and a hoodie on, over a dark blue shirt. He tried his best to ignore his pounding heart as he did so, because if you think about it, this was _kinda sorta_  a date.

He made his way down to the (now empty) beach, and sure enough, Ashton was there, resting on the sand. As Luke approached, he turned around to face him, and a large grin spread onto that pretty face.

"You ready to swim, Luke?"

Luke was _not_  ready to swim, because the water looking fucking freezing, but he nodded anyway, because he was dying to see Ashton swim again. The other boy hopped up and began to lift his shirt over his head. Luke stared in horror, because _how did he do that it was so cold out?_ And also because Ashton was now standing shirtless before him, and _well_.

He was fit. Extremely fit. And Luke maybe went a little weak at the knees. He sort of hoped that the toned, tanned boy in front of him had a thing for skinny white boys.

"Uh, I need to take my shorts off too, so..." Ashton was staring at him a little sheepishly, and it took a few seconds before it dawned on him what he was implying.

"O-oh, right! I'll turn around." he wanted to peek so, so much. But he didn't.

He then heard a splash coming from the water, and he swivelled around to see Ashton a little far out, just paddling. Luke guessed that was his queue. He pulled his hoodie off, then his shirt, and finally his trackies, leaving him in his swim trunks. He felt like a literal block of ice. Approaching the water, he wrapped his arms around his chest, trying to preserve any heat he had left in his body.

"I'm gonna change, okay?" Ashton called, seemingly unbothered by the nearly arctic temperature.

Luke braced himself for a bright flash, or a whirlpool, or a sharknado or _something_ , but all that he got was a long, amber, scaled tail flipping out of the water. That was enough to make his jaw drop, because seeing it up close and sober was even better. He was close enough to see that the colour matched Ashton's hazel eyes, only shinier. The boy was grinning at his reaction, swimming backwards, further out into the ocean so that he would swim better. He beckoned for Luke to follow him, and he did.

As soon as his toe hit the water, it immediately recoiled back in, a shockwave of shivers cascading down his spine and through his entire body.

"It's freezing!" he called from the shore, sounding more than a little lame.

"C'mon, a little cold water never hurt anyone!"

"Hypothermia." he deadpanned, but he still dipped the rest of his foot in anyway. "You're not trying to lure me out to my death are you? 'Cos if you start singing I am getting out right now."

Ashton giggled lightly, swaying back and forward in the murky water.

"You're thinking of a siren. C'mon, if you come out far enough, I'll keep you warm myself."

Well. If that didn't motivate Luke, nothing ever will. Despite the arctic water, he made his way over to where Ashton was, still able to stand on the sea bed. The water just reached his chest as he reached him, and the mermaid reached up to him , wrapping his arms around Luke's waist.

"I can't really reach, but you get the point." he giggled, unable to stand because of his... well... lack of legs.

"It's alright, that one section of my middle is _super_  warm now, thanks." Luke mused, somehow keeping his voice steady.

It was hard, though. A hot, wet, naked boy had his arms around him, and suddenly the water didn't seem so cold anymore. As Ashton retracted his arms, Luke felt him shiver too.

"Does the cold not bother you?" he said curiously, beginning to doggy paddle on his own.

"Not really. I've got like, extra thick skin, or something." he shrugged. "Are you sure you're okay swimming on your own?"

"To an extent." Truth be told, Luke was having a slightly hard time keeping his chin above the water, as they swam further out.

"Don't worry, I gotcha." Ashton grinned, lacing their fingers together, so that their hands formed a bridge between them.

Luke's face burned hot, and he hoped it wouldn't be noticeable. He did grin a little to himself, though, when he saw that Ashton's face was also a little flushed. A faint, pink blush dusted across his usually-tanned skin in the most adorable manor.

After about 40 minutes of Ashton teaching him how to hover in water using his hands, which eventually turned into a splash-fight, they waded towards the shore. Ashton didn't exactly tell Luke to turn around while he got out, but he did anyway, because he didn't trust himself to see Ashton naked and not become a flustered mess.

"Can we do this tomorrow as well?" he found himself blurting out, as they walked towards the apartment block together.

Ashton grinned and nudged his shoulder with his own, hands shoved in his pockets to keep them warm.

"I'd really like that."

 

**____________________________________________**

 

 

For some reason, Luke was oddly motivated to clean his apartment the next day. It had almost nothing to do with the fact that he was hoping to bring someone back there soon enough. He just had a spring in his step, like a burst of energy that lasted the whole day. The cleaning lasted the whole day too. He even had to make one or two trips down to the laundry room, but sadly, he didn't see Ashton there.

It killed most of his time, and he used the rest to study, because he wouldn't be a college student if he didn't hate all of his life choices. He made his way down to the shore at approximately 10:52, because okay. He just couldn't bring himself to wait for the last 8 minutes.

To his surprise, when he arrived down, Ashton was already out in the water, diving in and out of the gentle waves, with as much joy and excitement as he had had the first day Luke saw him. His heart swelled with joy, and he stood watching him for a few minutes more, before approaching him further and yelling out.

"Hey fish boy! Thanks for waiting!"

Ashton's shimmery tail clapped down on the water in surprise, and he straightened his back, looking at Luke, his face the pinnacle of shock. Shock turned to sheepishness, and he swam a little closer.

"Sorry." he cringed a little. Luke tried to ignore how cute his hair looked like that, long and hanging over his eyes, plastered down with sea water. "I wanted to get a swim in before you arrived."

"Is swimming with me not up to your mermaid standards?"

Ashton laughed uneasily, as if he couldn't tell wether Luke was serious or not. Luke couldn't tell either. Honestly, he was mostly just embarrassed with himself for holding Ashton back.

"No, I love swimming with you, Luke! You make it less lonely." he offered a small, dimply smile, and patted the surface of the water beside him, like you would do when telling someone to sit beside you.

Of course he couldn't resist, and he ended up in the water again. It wasn't as cold as the night before, and the moon was brighter, due to the parting of the clouds. He couldn't help but stare at Ashton's tail up close. It was about 4ft in length, and rippled with such elegance that it looked almost like an amber ribbon dancing through the air.

"You like?" Ashton said, smirking, and Luke flushed a little.

"It's really pretty." Luke breathed out in awe, mouth agape. "Can I... can I touch?"

Ashton raised a single eyebrow, biting back a smile, and lifted the end of the tail out of the water.

"Go for it."

Luke nodded, reached out to touch it delicately. It felt a little like holding a snake, except it was wet, and there was a boy attached to the other end. Once it became clear that he wasn't hurting Ashton, he placed his other hand on the other side, strangely enamoured with the thing. His thumb absentmindedly rubbed up and down, and Ashton's eyes flickered shut for a split second.

This ignited the curiosity inside of Luke, and he did the same thing again, only on a larger scale of the tail, running his hands up and down the sides. Ashton let out a shaky sigh, tilting his head to the side, eyes shut.

Oh.

_Oh_.

Was this... _doing something for him?_

He quickly retracted his hands, and Ashton's eyes snapped open, wide and a little alarmed.

"I, um... Sorry. Mermaid anatomy. 'S weird." he said, as if it was a casual thing, but he couldn't hide the fact that his face was crimson and his voice was uneven.

"Was that like..." Luke couldn't even finish the sentence, and he could hear and feel his heart was pounding all over his body.

Ashton's face. Is that what it would look like during sex? Face flushed and pretty, long eyelashes flickering shut. Back arching up off the bed in ecstasy. Would he breathe fast like that again? _What would his moans sound like?_

Oh dear. Oh no. He had to get out. But he couldn't, because he had _little problem_.

"It's the equivalent of someone playing with your hair." he shrugged, but now he was looking at Luke oddly. "Are you alright?"

"I'm—" he cleared his throat. "—'M fine." he practically squeaked, silently praying for his water boner to go down.

He was so angry at his own dick right now. Luckily, though, the cold water was brutal enough to sort it out after a few minutes, and the problem was averted.

"I think we should get out. It's getting late." he said eventually, because truth be told, if he didn't have his essay due tomorrow finished, and he was royally screwed. He really needed to sort out his priorities. Ashton made the decision to stay behind in the water a little longer, but as Luke began to leave the beach, he called out

"Tomorrow?"

"Yeah, tomorrow. Cool."

 

**______________________________________________**

 

Tomorrow arrived, then the day after, and soon next month arrived. And Luke was screwed. He was so so _so_  screwed. Because he really liked Ashton. The thing was, he was nearly sure that Ashton liked him too. Or he was just like to everyone.

Fuck.

Luke got home from college, completely drained and ready to throw himself out of his own window because he had two assignments to finish for tomorrow. Ashton was basically the only thing getting him through the day, that much was clear. When they weren't by the beach or in the water, they were just hanging out in one of their apartments. (Luke kept his clean all the time now.) And when they weren't doing that, they were texting non stop. Only when Luke was texting, he had to physically restrain himself from sending tiny lovehearts, or little kissy faces.

They met a little later this time, 12, because Luke had to text and reschedule due to his physics paper from hell. Which meant it would be even colder than usual. He didn't even care anymore, though, because he greedily devoured up any chance to hang out with the older boy. Mostly, he just liked to sit back and watch him swim. There was something about seeing him so happy, so free and joyful, that made Luke's heart beat three times as fast.

Rather than meeting at the beach, now they just walked down together from the lobby, each layered in warm clothes, which wouldn't really make a difference anyway. Tonight, when Ashton spotted him, a large grin graced his pretty, pretty face.

"Alright, Hemmings?"

"What's happening, Ariel?" he grinned, laughing loudly as Ashton walloped him on the arm with an 'oi!'

When they reached the water, and they began to get changed, Ashton didn't ask Luke to turn around. He didn't, but he managed to refrain himself from staring. One or two glimpses of the goods were enough, and. _Well_.

They ventured out particularly far this time, so that Ashton kept a good grip on his arm, keeping him afloat. Of course, he didn't really need the death grip to keep him above water, but he wasn't complaining.

"So like, how long can you stay under for?" he asked, salty water sloshing against his chin as he spoke.

"About twenty to thirty minutes." Ashton smiled so that his dimples showed up. Luke wanted to poke them. "And that's just with my lungs. The gills are a whole other story."

Luke's head snapped up in shock, eyes wide.

"Gills? What the fuck?"

Ashton grinned sheepishly scratching the back of his neck.

"Yeah. Just above the tail. And just below the water. They get really uncomfortable when I'm out of the water for two long, which is why I gotta swim every day."

Luke was in absolute awe. This boy was less human than he had initially thought.

"Wanna see?" Ashton said, practically reading his mind.

"Can I?"

"Sure, if you don't mind going under for a few seconds."

Luke didn't. He nodded, inhaling a huge breath and pushed himself down with the help of a grip on Ashton's waist. The water was dark and murky, but the moon was hitting the shiny amber scales so that the area around them was illuminated. Sure enough, just above the tail, beside his bellybutton, were three long gashes on each side, opening and closing in the water. Luke's jaw would have dropped, but he didn't want anything getting into his mouth.

He only really noticed that he had run out of breath when Ashton began to tug him back up, reminding him that his chest was beginning to tighten.

"Too long." he simply said when Luke resurfaced, gasping for air.

"Kinda wish that I could breathe under water." Luke muttered, once he had regained his breath.

"I could help you with that, if you want."

That was odd. Luke was certain that there was no way Ashton could help him with that. Unless... he could do magic.

"You can't do magic, can you?"

Ashton cackled out a laugh, throwing his head back, and Luke's face burned hot as he realised how absurd his question sounded.

"No, I can't. But trust me."

Luke trusted him, and Ashton reached out to take both of his hands. As he did so, tingles shot up Luke's spine.

"Take a deep breath." Ashton instructed, and once again, he followed the orders.

They both went down together. When Luke opened his eyes, water stinging them for a few seconds, Ashton already had his open, and he was beaming at him, mouth closed tight but smiling hard so that his dimples looked like they were about to jump from his face and raise a small family together.

They didn't really do anything, except float down there, looking at each other. Luke took note of how Ashton's hair rose from his head, swaying there like seaweed. He looked ridiculous like that, and he let a giggle slip out, a few large bubbles slipping from his lips and shooting to the surface. When he began to run out of breath, he cocked his head at Ashton, and tapped his chest a few times.

Ashton nodded, and reeled Luke in by the hands, so that they were chest to chest. He didn't really have time to process what happened until Ashton was parting his lips and pressing them to his. Luke's eyes widened as a gust of air pushed into his mouth, and filled his lungs. Ashton was giving him air. Or kissing him. Or both. But his lips were soft, and plump, and they lingered a little as he pulled back. As Luke's eyes flickered open, Ashton was smiling shyly at him, as if waiting for his reaction.

Luke's reaction, of course, was to awkwardly place two fingers to his lips, where Ashton's had just been, in disbelief of what had just happened. He wouldn't have done that if he didn't like Luke, _right?_  He returned the smile, and tapped his chest again, even though he hadn't quite run out of air yet. Ashton grinned with his tongue between his teeth, and brought them both together again.

Eyes flickering shut just before they met, he dipped his head again, and Luke's heart was pounding, now that he knew what to expect. Their lips met, tightly packed so that no water could get in, and Ashton didn't really even bother giving Luke any air, as he brought both hands up to cup his face. Luke could feel smooth scales against his bare legs, and the water didn't even feel cold. His entire body was radiating heat— or maybe that was Ashton's body, he couldn't tell— because _Ashton was definitely kissing him, they were kissing_.

Luke's hands wrapped around his waist, meeting at the small of his back, as their lips moved in unison. Eventually, Luke's chest grew tight— and not in the butterflies way— and he pulled back, pointing towards the surface. Ashton nodded, and taking him by the hand, propelled them back up. The both reached the top with a 'pop', and a gasp for air on Luke's part.

"Now you know what it's like to breathe underwater." Ashton grinned, breath still steady somehow.

"Now I _really_  fucking wish I was a mermaid." Luke said timidly, face burning. "You didn't have to do that, you know."

Ashton cocked his head, brows furrowing.

"I didn't?"

"W-well, I'm not saying i-it wasn't... fun. But if you—"

"Luke Hemmings, are you _really_  still wondering if I like you like _that_? Because I thought I made that pretty clear down there."

Luke exhaled deeply, and the butterflies in his stomach subsided, only to start up again once he realised what Ashton had said. _Liked him like that_. Ashton liked him. Like _that_. 'Thank fucking god' turned to 'oh my fucking god' as Ashton grinned at his (probably hilarious) expression.

"You like me like that too, right Lukey?"

Luke suppressed a grin by biting his lip, but it didn't really help.

"I don't know. You might have to do that thing again."

He watched as Ashton's pupils grew before his eyes, and he stared at Luke's lips briefly. He swam all the way in, so that their chests were touching, and there was a hot breath on Luke's mouth. In just a few short seconds, their lips were locking, but not so tightly this time. They loosely broke apart, so that Luke could tilt his head the other way, wrapping his arms around the golden-haired boy's neck.

Suddenly, as soon as his mind de-clouded a little, he remembered what Ashton had said previously about the mermaid anatomy. He brought his right leg up to Ashton's side, brushing it against the side of the tail, just as Ashton slipped a tongue into his mouth. The older boy let out a breathy gasp against Luke's lips. He guessed it was just pretty sensitive. He brought his two hands down and gripped both sides, squeezing hard. Ashton's grip on his waist tightened as a moan slipped from his lips. Luke felt as though his stomach was on fire (amongst other things.) Ashton pulled back, looking deep into his eyes, and muttered.

"Beach. Now."

Luke happily let ashton lead him to the shore, giddy as Ashton had a hand on his ass the whole time.

 

**_____________________________________________**

 

As they made their way back to the apartment with sand in their shorts, (and practically everywhere else) Ashton kept his arm around Luke's shoulder, despite being the shorter one of the two. He muttered soft compliments into his ear, about how good he had been, and how his hair looked cute all flattened down. Luke felt like the blowjob he had given was up to standard, plus the hadjob he had received was _more_  than satisfactory, _plus_  Ashton had given him his hoodie to wear on the way back in, so he was more than content at the moment.

As the entered the lobby, the receptionist lady gave them a knowing look, as if she had been observing them since the beginning, and was glad that they were finally together. Luke was very glad about that too.

As the weather got colder, and Luke couldn't (or didn't have time to) swim in the sea anymore, Ashton would often visit his flat, just to soak in his bath instead. Eventually, he didn't have to visit, because the bath now belonged to him too. And even though Luke never got to brag about dating a mermaid, he _did_  get to brag about dating Ashton, and that usually made people jealous enough.

 

 

 


End file.
